


Rumpled mind

by aribell12



Category: Inside Out (2015), Once Upon a Time (TV)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-07
Updated: 2019-03-12
Packaged: 2019-05-19 05:49:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 10,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14867840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aribell12/pseuds/aribell12
Summary: The show Once Upon a Time as seen through the emotions inside Rumplestiltskin's head.





	1. Manhattan

**Author's Note:**

> This is just an idea that came to me, and I wanted to try it out. Each chapter is the episode title. I'm only doing seasons 1 and 2.

"This is great!" Joy was practically jumping around Headquarters, excited. "We've been called to the front at the Ogres War."  
"What's so great about that?" scoffed Disgust.  
"A war could be dangerous." added Fear.  
"Come on, think about it. We've lived under Dad's shadow for so many years. This is our chance to prove to everyone that we're brave." Joy went back to driving the console. "Wait until we tell Milah!"  
Rumplestiltskin entered the house to find Milah sitting at the table, sewing. He showed her a piece of paper.  
"No. Rumple," Milah protested. "I've heard stories. The front, it's a brutal place."  
"She's right. Besides, we don't have any experience." said Fear nervously.  
"Don't worry. That's what training will prepare us for." Joy replied.  
"Go. Be brave. Fight honorably." Milah encouraged.  
"I love you."  
"I love you, too."  
Joy looked out the back window at the Islands of Personality. He smiled at the sight of Milah Island running.  
"And when you return, we can live the life we've always dreamed of. We can have a family."  
The Emotions turned to watch as a happy memory rolled onto the shelf.  
______ 

In the woods, one of the army's camps was set up, along with several armed soldiers walking around. Rumpelstiltskin walked past one of the tents as a soldier approached him.  
"Soldier."  
"Me?"  
"I'm needed at the front. You guard this crate with your life." He pointed to a cage covered by a tarp.  
"What's under there?"  
"A prisoner who could help us turn the tide against the ogres. Careful. It's a tricky beast."  
"Yes, sir."  
Rumplestiltskin walked toward the crate then turned his back to it.  
"Rumpelstiltskin." A voice called out from under the canvas.  
"Did you hear that? Someone called us." Fear looked nervous. "I think I came from in there."  
Rumpelstiltskin pulled back the tarp. Inside the cage, there is a young girl with her eyes sewn shut. Fear screamed.  
"Relax, Fear. It's only a girl." Joy tried to calm him down.  
"This girl is supposed to help in the war?" Anger said doubtfully.  
"I don't see what's so tricky about her." added Disgust.  
"Please. I haven't had a sip in days." The Seer pointed to a nearby bucket of water.  
"How do you know my name?"  
"I'm a seer. I see all." She held up her hands, revealing blue eyes on the palms.  
Disgust rolled his eyes. "Oh, please! She expects us to believe that?"  
"Rumpelstiltskin, the son of a coward. Raised by spinsters. Scared of ending up just like his father. Did I overhear that? I told you. I see all, even what has yet to pass."  
"You mean the future? You can see the future?"  
"Indeed I can… Including yours."  
"Nice try. But we're not falling for this." said Anger  
"Even if what I see concerns your wife? Milah?"  
"What? She knows something about her?" Fear asked, frantically. "Is she alright? Did something happen?"  
Rumpelstiltskin gave her a cup of water.  
"There's your water. Now you better tell us what you know!" Anger shouted, pointing to the screen.  
The Seer put down the cup and extended her hand. "She's already with child."  
Joy smiled widely. "Did you hear that, guys?! Milah's with child! We're to be a father!"  
"Your wife will bear you a son," The Seer continued. "But your actions on the battlefield tomorrow will leave him fatherless."  
Fear looked terrified. "We're going to die out there? No! I knew doing this was too dangerous!"  
"That's it! I've had enough!" Anger pressed a button.  
Rumpelstiltskin grabbed the water from her hand.  
"Someday, you'll help me again."  
"Don't count on it." Anger sneered.  
"You shall see." The Seer warned. "Tomorrow, when you see the army ride cows into battle, you will know I speak the truth."  
"Cows? She's got to be kidding." Disgust scoffed.  
"There is no escaping it. You will have a son, and your actions will leave him fatherless."  
Anger took control of the console, making Rumplestiltskin cover the crate with the tarp.

______

At the camp, several injured soldiers were being carried in on stretchers.  
"I see what she meant about it being a brutal place." Disgust cringed.  
"They're not dead, but that's the only way out of here alive." A soldier commented. "When the ogres rip you limb from limb, pray that there're quick."  
"Fortune favors us! Fresh supplies have arrived from the Duke." The Commanding Officer announced, drawing a small crowd around him. "Today, we will not be marching into battle. We'll be riding. Now grab yourself a cow and get ready."  
"Did he say cows? He said cows!" Fear looked nervous, and began driving the console.  
"The saddles we just got in—made from the finest leather. We call 'em "cows." Grab yours, so at least the ride into doom will be a soft one on your backside."  
The crowd walked away, while Rumpelstiltskin stayed frozen in place.  
Fear started to panic. "Oh, no. This means everything she told us was true."  
Rumpelstiltskin pulled back the tarp, only to see the cage empty.  
"She's not there! She's gone!" Fear gasped.  
Anger pulled the levers, screaming. Rumplestiltskin shook the crate in a fit of anger.  
Sadness started to cry. "That's it. We're gonna die. We won't get to be with our son."  
"Wait a minute." Fear went over to the idea shelves and grabbed a bulb. "There's a way out. The soldier said that if you're injured, you can't fight, which means you get to go home."  
"But that's way too drastic." Joy sounded concerned.  
"We have no choice. We don't want our son growing up like we did." Fear inserted the bulb into the console. Rumplestiltskin noticed a smiting hammer and picked it up, holding it over his head.  
He slammed the hammer into his leg. With a crunch, his leg breaks, and he falls to the ground screaming in agony. The emotions all screamed.

______

With his leg in a crude brace, Rumpelstiltskin limped towards the hut. "Milah!" Entering the house, Rumpelstiltskin saw Milah holding an infant wrapped in a blanket. "Milah."  
"Rumple?" Milah asked, confused.  
"Hey, look! That must be our son she's holding." Joy pointed to the screen.  
"What's his name?"  
Milah looked at the baby and smiled. "Baelfire."  
"A strong name!" Rumpelstiltskin then collapsed into a chair due to the pain in his leg.  
"Something he'll need if he's to live with the shame of being your son."  
"What… What are you talking about?"  
"Rumple, is it true?"  
"Is what true?"  
"Did you injure yourself? So that you wouldn't have to fight? So that you would be sent home?"  
"Oh no! She's on to us!" Fear gasped.  
"Who told you that?"  
"Everyone! Rumors travel quickly from the front. Rumple, did you do this to yourself? Did you do it to yourself?!" Milah shouted.  
"Don't yell at us, woman! We're injured here!" Anger banged his fist on the console.  
"Yes! A seer told me I was going to die in the battle."  
"You did this because a seer told you to do it?"  
"She was right about everything else. I left the front to be with you. You and… Baelfire."  
"You left because you were afraid."  
Joy looked disappointed. "This isn't the reaction I expected."  
"You became what everyone thought you were – a coward."  
"That's all she sees us as." Sadness bowed his head.  
"Just like your father!"  
"That's it! Now she's gone too far!" Anger yelled, pushing the levers as fire burst from his head.  
"I am nothing like my father!" Rumpelstiltskin stood up. "He tried to abandon me. I will never, ever do that to my son. That's why I did this – for him. All for the boy. To save him from the same fate I suffered – growing up without a father."  
"You sentence him to a fate much worse," Milah shook her head. "Growing up as your son."  
Anger let go of the controls. The emotions all looked at the screen, shocked.  
"She's so mad at us." said Fear. "Maybe hurting ourself was a mistake."  
Sadness stepped up to drive the console.  
"What…What else could I do?"  
"You could have fought, Rumple. You could have died."  
"You don't mean that. You don't mean that."  
Milah handed Baelfire to Rumpelstiltskin, then she grabbed a bucket and stormed out the door. The emotions all gathered around and looked at the screen. Even Anger and Disgust were smiling.  
Sadness and Joy were now both driving the console.  
"Oh, guys... just look at him." Joy was getting choked up. "He's just perfect."  
"You know, we may have injured ourself, been branded a coward, and made Milah mad at us," said Sadness.  
"But it was worth it." Joy continued.  
"Oh, it's alright, Bae. It's alright. Your Papa's here. And I promise… I will never, ever leave you."  
Joy and Sadness smiled as they touched a button at the same time. A blue and yellow core memory rolled into the Core Memory Holder. The Emotions ran to the back window and watched a lightline extend out the back of Headquarters, which formed Baelfire Island.


	2. The Crocodile

"Well, that was a great day." Disgust said, sarcastic.  
"We barely sold any wool." Sadness whined.  
"What did you expect? Who would buy from the town coward?" yelled Anger.  
"Hey, at least we're home now." Joy tried to cheer them up. "Where we have Bae and Milah waiting for us."  
Rumpelstiltskin entered the house, but found Baelfire sitting at the table, alone.  
"Or just Bae." Joy looked disappointed.  
"She left him alone again." Sadness sighed, depressed.  
Joy perked up. "I-it's ok. We just have to go look for her."  
"Well, she probably just lost track of time. Grab your cloak. We'll find her."

_______

In the tavern, Rumpelstiltskin saw Milah playing a dice game with some pirates. He approached the table.  
"There she is." Joy pointed out.  
"Drinking with pirates again." Sadness whined.  
"I can't believe she's rather be here than at home." Anger was about to press a button on the console, but Joy blocked him. "I'll handle this."  
"Milah. Milah. It's time to go."  
"Good. So, go."  
"Please. You have responsibilities."  
"You mean like being a man and fighting in the Ogre Wars? Other wives became honored widows, while I became lashed to the village coward. I need a break. Run home, Rumple. It's what you're good at."  
"She had to bring that up again." Sadness bowed his head.  
"Why can't she just let it go?" Disgust complained.  
"Guys, don't listen to her." Joy reassured them. "We did it for the right reason."  
"Mama?"  
Rumpelstiltskin turned around to see Baelfire.  
"What's he doing in here?" Fear asked. "We told him to wait outside."  
Milah got up from the table and left with the two of them.  
"Well, at least that got her to come home." Joy smiled slightly.

_______

At their home, Milah laid in bed while Rumpelstiltskin made tea.  
"You don't really wish I died during the Ogre Wars, do you?"  
"I wish you'd fought. Don't you?"  
"Let me handle this." Joy took his turn to drive.  
"Well, I'm alive, and I'm here with you, with Bae."  
"This isn't a life. Not for me. Why can't we just leave?"  
"We've talked about that."  
"You don't have to be the village coward. We could start again. Go somewhere no one knows us. See the whole world, beyond this village."  
"I know this wasn't the life you wanted, but it- it can be good. Here. At least try, if not for me, then... for Bae."  
"Okay. I'll try."  
"See? She's going to try to make this work." Joy tried to stay optimistic.

_______

The next day, a woman knocked on Rumplestiltskin's door and he answered it. "Rumpelstiltskin, you need to get to the docks now!"  
"The docks? Why?"  
"The men who came into port last week – they've taken Milah. They're setting sail. You must hurry."  
"Milah's been kidnapped?" Fear began to panic. "We gotta save her!"

_______

At the docks, Rumplestiltskin is hobbled towards the Jolly Roger. He climbed the stairs to get on the ship and fell onto the deck. He looked up, and saw Killian Jones standing over him. Two pirates grabbed Rumpelstiltskin and pulled him to his feet, thrusting his walking stick at him.  
"That's the man we saw at the bar." Fear gasped.  
"It's always nice to make an impression. Where are my manners? We haven't been formally introduced. Killian Jones. Now, what are you doing aboard my ship?"  
"You have my wife."  
"Well, I've had many a man's wife."  
"No, you... you see, we... we have a son, and he needs his mother."  
"And see, I have a ship full of men who need... companionship."  
Fear and Sadness took control of the console.  
"I-I'm begging you. Please let her go."  
"I'm not much for bartering. That said, I do consider myself an honorable man. A man with a code. So… if you truly want your wife back…" He threw a sword in front of Rumplestiltskin. "All you have to do is take her." Hook held his sword against Rumpelstiltskin's neck. "Never been in a duel before, I take it? Well, it's quite simple, really. The pointy end goes in the other guy. Go on. Pick it up."  
"He's pointing the sword at us." Fear cried. "We can't fight him! Especially not with our bad leg." Several fear memories rolled onto the shelf.  
Rumpelstiltskin didn't pick up the sword.  
"A man unwilling to fight for what he wants, deserves what he gets."  
Fear began to shake. "What if Bae asks where his mom is? What are we going to tell him?"  
"Try the truth. His father's a coward."  
"He called us a coward." Sadness moaned. "Face it. That's all we'll ever be."


	3. Desperate Souls

Rumpelstiltskin was spinning at the wheel, when Baelfire frantically rushed inside the house. "Papa! Papa! They've come for Morraine."  
"What? They're taking younger children!" Fear shrieked.  
Rumpelstiltskin grabbed his walking stick and they went outside. They watched from a distance as several knights dragged Morraine away from her screaming parents.  
"Orders of the Duke!" Hordor commanded. "The Ogre Wars have taken their toll this season. More troops will turn the tide."  
"No! You can't have her!" The couple shouted. Morraine's mother tried to attack Hordor. The Dark One strangled her and the father using magic. The couple fell to the ground.  
Hordor smirked. "The Dark One seems to think I can."  
The Dark One then let go of the couple. Hordor, the knights, and Morraine rode off.  
"My birthday's in three days." Said Baelfire. "They'll come for me in three days!"  
"No! He can't fight in that war!" Fear screamed.  
"Relax, Fear. We'll think of something." Joy tried to calm him down. "We have to be strong for Bae."  
Rumpelstiltskin put a protective arm around Baelfire. "We'll find a way. We'll find a way."

_______

"This is bad." Sadness whined. "They're gonna take Bae away to fight. He's only a child. He'll die out there. We can't lose him. He's all we've got. What would we do without him?"  
Fear searched through the idea bulbs and took one out. "They can't take him away if we're not here. We should go somewhere where they can't find us."  
Joy looked concerned. "You mean we run away?"  
Disgust rolled his eyes. "You can't be serious."  
"Do you want to have him taken away?" argued Fear.  
"No." Emotions said, all together.  
Fear plugged the Idea Bulb into the console. Rumpelstiltskin approached his sleeping son and tried to wake him up.  
"Bae. Bae. Waken up, son. Come on. Waken up, son. We're going now. We're going now! Come on. Come on!"  
Baelfire woke up and the two of them left the house.  
Rumpelstiltskin and Baelfire walked through the woods with their things.  
"It feels wrong to run away."  
"It's worse to die, son. I'm not having you taken away to the Ogres' war."  
"Are we sure there's no other way?"  
"Oh, I can't lose you, Bae. You're all I've got left, son. You don't understand what war is like – what they do to you."  
They heard the sound of horses approaching.  
"Aaaaaah! Someone's coming!" Fear shouted, pulling the console levers.  
"Quick, hide! In the ditch – hide! Go, go! Go!"  
"Stop right there!" Hordor and several knights on horseback surrounded Rumpelstiltskin and Balfire.  
"Oh no! They caught us!" cried Fear.  
"I-it's okay. We just have to stay calm." Joy tried to stay positive.  
Hordor got off his horse and walked up to Rumpelstiltskin. "I know you, don't I? What was your name? Hm? Spindleshanks? Threadwhistle? Hobblefoot?"  
"His name's Rumpelstiltskin." Baelfire stepped toward him.  
Rumpelstiltskin grabbed his shoulder. "Hush, boy!"  
"Rumpel- Ah, the man who ran. Is this your boy? How old is he? What's your name?"  
"I'm Baelfire and I'm thirteen."  
"When's your birthday?"  
"In two days' time."  
"Zip it, kid!" yelled Anger.  
Fear began trembling. "He's gonna get us in trouble."  
"Did you teach him how to run as well, Rumpelstiltskin? Did he tell you? Did he tell you how he ran and the ogres turned the tide of the battle, and all the others were killed, and he returned home to a wife who could not bear the sight of him? You see, women do not like to be married to cowards."  
Together, Fear and Sadness drove the console.  
"Please don't speak to my boy like that."  
"It's treason to avoid service. Take the boy now."  
Fear shrieked and pressed a button.  
"No, no, no, no! What do you want?"  
"What do I want? You have no money, no influence, no land, no title, no power. The truth is, all you really have is fealty. Kiss my boot."  
"I don't understand-"  
"You asked my price. Kiss my boot."  
"Not in front of my boy."  
"Kiss my boot!"  
The knights all laughed as Rumpelstiltskin got on the ground. Hordor then kicked Rumpelstiltskin in the stomach and he fell to the ground. Hordor returned to his horse and the group left.  
"Well, that was embarrassing." Disgust commented.  
"And in front of our son." Sadness groaned.  
Suddenly, they heard someone coming towards them.  
"Aaaaaah! Someone else is coming!" Fear pointed to the screen.  
"No, no, no! No! It's okay. Let me help you. Let me help you home." The beggar helps Rumpelstiltskin stand up.  
"It's the beggar we saw earlier. See? He's not gonna hurt us." Joy smiled.  
"You just leave me whatever you can spare, and I'll find a way to be your benefactor. Come."

_______

In the house, Rumpelstiltskin and the beggar sat by the fire. Baelfire was asleep in bed.  
"Well, there's no point in running away now." Sadness sighed, driving the console.  
"You need to find another way. You need to choose a different path."  
"Choose? What choice do I have?"  
"Everyone has a choice."  
"I'm the town coward. The only choice I have is which corner to hide in." Sadness touched the console and it turned blue. "I'm lame, friendless… The only thing I've got is my boy. And they're going to take him away from me. If they take him away, I would truly, truly become dust."  
"Not if you have power."  
"You may as well say diamonds."  
"Get a hold of yourself! Think. Why do you think that someone as powerful as the Dark One would work for a useless fool like the Duke of the Frontlands?"  
"Tell me."  
"The Duke has the Dark One in thrall. He's enslaved him with the power of a mystical dagger and on the blade is written a name – the true name of the Dark One. If you steal the dagger, then you would control the Dark One yourself. And then no one would be able to take your son away from you."  
"We can't control someone like that." Fear trembled.  
"Then, perhaps, instead of controlling the power, you need to take it."

_______

Outside their house, Rumplestiltskin wound wool up on short sticks made of wood. Baelfire soaked wool in hot sheep's fat.  
"Keep that fire good and stoked, Bae. The sheep's fat needs to be liquid and get that wool good and soaked."  
"Why are we doing this, Papa? This is good wool. We can spin and sell-"  
"These are our keys to the castle, son. And once I'm inside – something I have to take."  
"Isn't this exciting?" Joy smiled. "Once we get that dagger, we control the Dark One. If we kill him, then his powers would be ours."  
"I don't know about this, Joy." Fear said nervously.  
"Oh, come on. Think of all the good things we could do with those powers. We'd save all the children and Bae. We wouldn't be thought of as a coward anymore."  
"But if the law says I'm to fight, I… I can fight."  
Fear took control of the console.  
"No, no, no! The law doesn't want you to fight, son. The law wants you to die. That's not battle – that's sacrifice, son. You look at that red in the sky. That's not the… The fires of the battlefields – that's the blood of our people, son. It's the blood of children. The blood of children like you. I mean, what sane person would want to get involved with that?"  
"So, it's true. It's true. It's true you ran."  
Fear pulled up a memory of Rumpelstiltskin injuring his leg.  
"I had no choice, son."  
"And Mother? Did she leave you like the knight said? You told me she was dead."  
"She is dead."  
"Maybe we should tell him the truth." Joy suggested.  
"No. Then he'd know we lied to him." Fear shook his head.  
"And he'd be mad at us." added Sadness.  
"He's our son. He wouldn't think any less of us." Joy assured them.  
"So, what do we need to do?" Baelfire asked, breaking the silence.  
"The Duke's castle is made of stone, but the floors and the rafters are made of wood."  
"Why does that matter?"  
"Because wood burns."

_______

Baelfire and Rumplestiltskin stood outside of the duke's castle.  
"Alright. Let's do this." Joy took the controls.  
Rumplestiltskin lit one of the torches they made and set a pile of straw on fire. The fire spread along the castle's walls. Burning wooden joints and cracks the fire spread inside the castle and burned the ceilings and rafters. Some burning rafters fell to the ground. Rumplestiltskin entered a hall with flags standing along the walls.  
"It should be here somewhere." Joy thought, looking around.  
"Maybe this wasn't a good idea." Fear said nervously.  
"We've gotten this far. We can't give up now."  
Rumplestiltskin pulled one flag aside, revealing the hidden dagger behind it.  
"There it is!" Joy announced.  
He took the dagger off the wall and saw the name 'Zoso' written on it.  
"Now let's get out of here." Fear pressed a button. Rumplestiltskin quickly left the burning hall.

After a while, Rumplestiltskin returned the woods where Baelfire was waiting.  
"Papa! I was so worried for you. Are… Are you burned? The castle-"  
"I'm fine, son. I'm fine. I need you to go home and wait for me there."  
"Come with me – please. I have a bad feeling."  
"Bae, this is something I have to do on my own. Go home, son!" Baelfire hesitated to leave. "Go home and wait for me, Bae. I'll be back. You go." Baelfire then turned around and left.  
"Are you sure we want to do this?" Fear asked. "Maybe we should go with him."  
"This is our only hope to keep him from being taken." Joy reminded him.  
Rumplestiltskin took out the dagger and held it up in the air and read the name written on the blade by the light of the torch.  
"Zoso! Zoso! I summon thee!"  
"It didn't work." Sadness moaned. "Now what are we going to do?"  
Rumpelstiltskin turned around to see the Dark One standing behind him. Fear screamed and pulled the levers. He stumbled backwards, dropping the torch.  
"You were asking for me?"  
"Submit, oh Dark One! I control you."  
"Yes, you do. Wield the power wisely. You can wield at any time now. It's almost dawn. That means it's your son's birthday. I bet Hordor and his men are already on their way to your house."  
"What?! No, they can't take him!" Fear panicked.  
"You don't control them – you control me. Have you ever wondered – was he really your child at all? Unlike you, he's not a coward and yearns to fight and die in glory. What a poor bargain that would be – to lay down your soul to save your son. So, I ask you – what would you have me do?"  
Anger came over to the controls. "Oh, I'll show you what we'd have you do!" He banged a button on the console, and Rumpelstiltskin stabbed the Dark One with the dagger and they fell to the ground. In the torch's light, the Dark One's face changed, revealing that he was the beggar they met before. Zoso laughed.  
"It's the beggar." Fear gasped.  
"Looks like you made a deal you didn't understand. I don't think you gonna do that again."  
"But he told us to do this." Joy looked confused. "Wait, he wanted us to kill him?"  
"My life was such a burden. You'll see. Magic always comes with a price and now, it's yours to pay."  
"Why me? Why me?"  
"I know how to recognize a desperate soul." Zoso stopped breathing and was dead.  
Rumpelstiltskin's hand holding the dagger started to change color.  
"Look! We're changing!" Fear screamed.  
Rumpelstiltskin pulled out the dagger and saw his name on the blade. The console started to change color. A red core memory was formed and rolled into the Core Memory Holder. The Emotions watched as a light line extended out the back of Headquarters and formed Magic Island.

_______

The next morning, Rumpelstiltskin saw Hordor and the group of knights at his house, taking Baelfire with them.  
"Everyone's watching from behind their curtains today."  
"Now it's time to get our revenge." Anger rubbed his hands together.  
Joy tried to stop him. "Don't you think that's too harsh?"  
"Need I remind you of how they treated us? Plus, they have Bae." He pushed Joy aside and took the controls.  
Rumpelstiltskin stabbed one of the guards from behind.  
"Dark One." Hordor kneeled. Rumpelstiltskin walked towards him. "No… Who are you?"  
"Have you forgotten me already? What was it you used to call me again? Spindleshanks? Hobblefoot."  
"Rumpelstiltskin."  
"Wonderful. And now, you shall know me as the new Dark One. How about a little fealty? Kiss my boot."  
Anger pushed the levers forward, shouting as his head erupted. Rumpelstiltskin grabbed Hordor and snapped his neck. He killed the rest of the knights with the dagger, and then approached Baelfire. Anger then calmed down and let go of the controls.  
"Papa? What has happened to you?"  
"You're safe, Bae. Do you feel safe, son?"  
"No. I'm frightened."  
"I'm not. I protected what belongs to me and I'm not scared of anything."  
"That's right." Anger smiled. "No one's ever gonna mess with us, or call us a coward again."


	4. Chapter 4

"What's going on?" Rumpelstiltskin walked over to Baelfire, who was talking to a man with a donkey cart.  
"Did he do something to our son?" Anger looked suspicious.  
"It's nothing. It was my fault. I wasn't looking where I was going. But, he says he's fine!"  
"I'm fine, Papa. Really."  
"See, Anger? He's okay." Joy chimed. "No reason to get all worked up."  
"Well, I suppose it won't happen again."  
"It won't."  
"What's that?" Rumpelstiltskin pointed down, and everyone's attention was drawn to Baelfire's bloody knee.  
"So he did hurt him!" Anger snarled.  
"It's nothing!"  
"Nobody hurts our son!" Anger banged a button on the console.  
In a puff of purple smoke, Rumpelstiltskin magically transformed the man into a snail. Balefire and the rest of the villagers watch as Rumpelstiltskin went to crush the snail.  
"No, Papa. No. Please, Papa, don't. No, Papa! Papa!" Baelfire pleaded.  
Rumpelstiltskin crushed the snail under his foot.  
"That'll teach him." Anger calmed down.  
He put an arm around Baelfire and they walked away.

_______

Rumpelstiltskin and Baelfire enter their house as Onora cleaned up the room. Rumplestiltskin turned to face the maid.  
"Thank you, Onora. You can fetch our supper now, dearie."  
Onora left Baelfire and Rumplestiltskin alone.  
"You killed that man."  
"Well, you were hurt. Speaking of which…"  
Rumpelstiltskin sat on the table and his hand began to glow.   
"We'll have that fixed in no time." Joy looked out the back window and saw Magic Island running.  
"He's using magic again." Baelfire's Disgust groaned.  
"What do you expect? Lately he's been using it for everything." argued Baelfire's Anger. He was about to press a button on the console, but Baelfire's Joy blocked him. "I'll handle it."  
"No. I don't want magic. It's just a scrape."  
"This will heal it."  
"So will this." Baelfire got a first aid kit from a cupboard.  
"As you wish." Rumpelstiltskin began to mend the knee.  
"I say we give him a piece of our mind." Baelfire's Anger suggested.  
"Okay. But keep it subtle. We don't want to make him mad." Baelfire's Joy advised.  
"You're different now. You see it, don't you? You hurt people all the time."  
"I created a truce in the Ogres War, Bae. I walked into the field of battle, and I made it stop. I led the children home. Surely, a man who's saved a thousand lives-"  
"-is done. A man who's saved a thousand lives can be done with it. You can stop doing things."  
"He wants us to get rid of our powers?!" Anger shouted.  
"We can't do that." Fear sounded worried. "What if something happens to him?"  
"I can't. I need more power so I can protect you."  
"I wouldn't need protecting if you didn't have power."  
"Besides, that would only happen someone kills us with the dagger." added Disgust.  
"Guys, relax. That's not what he meant." Joy assured them. "Let's just hear him out."  
"I just think there might be other ways to get rid of the power. Have you looked for…?"  
They noticed Onora enter, bringing supper. Rumplestiltskin put away the dagger.  
"Well, you look for other ways, Bae. But don't get your hopes up."  
"Papa, if I find a way for you to get rid of the power… A way that doesn't kill you or hurt me… Would you do it?"  
"It's not possible."  
"If it was, would you do it? Don't you miss how it was?"  
"Are you really that unhappy, Bae? I can conjure anything you desire. Name it. What do you want?"  
"I want my father."  
"Come on. How can we say no to him?" Joy pressed a button on the console.  
Rumpelstiltskin smiled. "All I want is your happiness, Bae. If you find a way, I'll do it."  
Joy looked out the back window and smiled at Baelfire Island running.  
"Good." Baelfire reached out his hand. Rumplestiltskin took it and Baelfire smiled. "The deal is struck."  
"Struck."  
In the forest, Rumpelstiltskin and Baelfire came across several children playing with wooden swords.  
"Hey, why don't you join in, Bae? I have some business nearby that would bore you."  
"Alright."

_______

Rumpelstiltskin headed towards a house up the hill, while Baelfire went to join the children.  
Later, Rumpelstiltskin returned as Morraine left.  
"Your friend didn't want to say hello?"  
"You frighten them."  
"What is there to be frightened of?"  
"You! And the things you do with magic!" Baelfire's Anger yelled.  
"They'll get over that in time."  
"You have stains on your boots."  
They looked down at blood on Rumpelstiltskin's boots.  
"Uh oh. He noticed." Anger gasped.  
"What did he do now?" Baelfire's Fear wondered, nervously.  
"Oh, yes, that. Uh, we need a new maid."  
Baelfire's Emotions looked shocked.   
"Oh, he did NOT!" Baelfire's Disgust held his hand to his head.  
"He did!" Baelfire's Fear shrieked.  
"She heard us talking about the knife."  
"She was mute. She couldn't tell anyone."  
"Even mutes can draw a picture."  
"I don't believe this." Baelfire's Disgust groaned.  
"That's it! He's out of control!" Baelfire's Anger shouted.  
"He's not the same anymore." Baelfire's Sadness whined.  
"Don't worry. We just have to get this Reul Ghorm to change him back." Baelfire's Joy calmed them down.

_______

Rumpelstiltskin was spinning at his wheel, when Baelfire entered the house.  
"Papa! Papa. I found it. I found a way for things to be like they were. I want you to come with me. I can make things right. Have you heard of the Reul Ghorm?"  
"Oh no. He's been talking with the Blue Fairy." Disgust groaned. "Fairy magic and our magic don't mix."  
"But you promised. She can help us. To take us to a place without magic."  
"We can't go to a place without magic!" Fear said, frantic. "We'd be weak and powerless again. Plus, we'd lose Magic Island."  
"Like everyone else. It wouldn't matter. We'd be happy."  
"We could be happy here."  
"Father, please. You're getting worse. And you promised. This can work. It can. You made a deal with me. Are you backing out?"  
"He's right. We can't break our promise." Joy agreed.

_______

Baelfire and Rumpelstiltskin walked through the woods until they got to a clearing.  
"Wait, wait. Hang on, guys. Are we really doing this?" Fear sounded unsure.  
"We made a deal with Bae." Joy reminded him. "We want him to be happy."  
"But we don't know what this world will be like."  
"Come on. It can't be that bad."  
Baelfire pulled out the magic bean and threw it on the ground. A green vortex formed in the ground.  
"Oh, no! We're not going into that!" Fear panicked and pulled the levers on the console.  
"Oh my gods, boy! It's like a tornado!" Rumpelstiltskin shouted, and backed away from the portal.  
"We have to go through!"  
"No, no! I don't think I can!  
"We must! It's the only way!  
"No, no, no, no, no, no! It's a trick! It'll tear us apart!  
"It's not! It'll be okay! I promise!"  
"Get him out of there!" Fear shouted.  
Rumplestiltskin grabbed Baelfire's hand, pulling him up. Fear memories came rolling onto the shelf.  
"Papa, we have to go through. What are you doing? Papa, it won't stay open long. Let's go."  
"I can't! I can't!"  
"Papa, please! It's the only way we can be together!  
"No, Bae! I can't!  
"Papa, please!  
"I can't!  
"He's chickening out?! He agreed to do this!" Baelfire's Anger hit a button on the console.  
"You coward! You promised! Don't break our deal!"  
"I have to!"  
"Papa!"  
Baelfire got sucked into the vortex, and it disappeared, leaving only a hole in the ground behind.  
Fear let go of the controls, sighing relieved. "It's gone now." He then gasped after noticing that Baelfire was also gone. "What have we done?"  
"We lost him. We broke our promise." added Sadness.  
"No, no, no, no, no. No, no, Bae. I'm sorry, Bae!" Rumpelstiltskin shouted. He started frantically digging in the dirt "I want to come with you! I want to come with you, Bae! I want to come with you! Bae! Bae! Bae!"  
A purple and blue memory rolled onto the shelf. The Emotions turned around and watched as Baelfire Island went dark and begin to crumble.

_______

Rumpelstiltskin stood in a clearing in the forest.  
"That fairy is going to pay for this!" Anger was now driving the console.  
"Reul Ghorm! Show yourself!" The Blue Fairy appeared. "How do I follow him?"  
"You had the way, you didn't take it. And there are no more magic beans."  
"That's a lie."  
"We don't do that."  
"A lie."  
"You will never make it to that world."  
"Oh, I'll find a way. There must be other paths. A realm jumper?"  
"No."  
"A time turner?"  
"No."  
"A mage?"  
"There is no-"  
"A curse?"  
The Blue Fairy hesitated a moment.  
"Ah! So, it is a curse."  
"Of course you would think of a curse instead of a blessing. Your magic is limited by its own rotten core, Rumpelstiltskin. Anyway, it can't be done. Not without a great price."  
"I've already paid a great price."  
"So, you'd be willing to sacrifice this world for the next? Because that's how great the price is."  
"Well, what do you think?"  
"Well, then I'll comfort myself knowing that such a curse is beyond your abilities."  
"Oh, for now. But I've got all the time in the world. I will do nothing else, I will love nothing else. I will find a way. You took my son, but I will get him back."  
"I didn't take your son."  
Anger hit a button on the console.  
"You took my son, but I will get him back!"  
"You drove him away."  
"Eat this, fairy!" Anger flipped the levers as his head blew out fire. Rumplestiltskin tried to attack her with his dagger but the Blue Fairy fended him off. She disappeared.  
"I will find him! I will find him! I will find him…"


	5. Manhattan(2)

Rumpelstiltskin entered a clearing in the forest, where a campfire was burning.  
"That seer better be here." Anger grumbled, "We got a bone to pick with her."  
The Seer appeared from behind a tree. She was now an adult  
"I've been expecting you."  
"Then you know exactly why I came here."  
"What I foretold during the Ogres War has finally come to pass."  
"Well, let's see. We injured ourself, we were branded a coward, and Milah left us." Anger ranted.  
"Not to mention we became the Dark One to keep our son from the war, and then he left us." Added Disgust. "So, yeah, I'd say it did."  
"But… It would've been nice to know about all that pesky detail."  
"Knowing would not have made a difference. You still would have been powerless to escape your fate."  
Anger took control of the console and banged on one of the buttons.  
"Just…like…you." Rumpelstiltskin magically strangled the Seer, cutting off her breathing. "Now you know exactly why I came here."  
The Seer managed to croak out a response. "You want to find your son."  
"Indeed."  
Anger let go of the controls. Rumpelstiltskin released the magical hold on her throat.  
"You will find him." the Seer moved her hands  
"We will?!" Joy smiled. "How?"  
"And don't leave out any details this time." Anger warned.  
"It will not be an easy path. It will take many years… And require a curse. A curse…powerful enough to rip everyone from this land."  
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Tell us more." Disgust waved his hand.  
"You will not cast the curse… Someone else will. And you will not break the curse… Someone else will."  
"Tell us everything you know!" Anger shouted.  
"I don't know. Even my powers have limits."  
"Ah, ah, ah. Not good enough, dearie."  
Anger hit the console button again. Rumpelstiltskin, again, put her into a magical stranglehold.  
"If you want to see the path you must take, there is only one way. Take this burden from me." The Seer held out both of her hands palm up.  
"Mm, gladly."  
Rumpelstiltskin placed his hands on top of the Seer's, emitting a burst of white light. The Seer screamed.  
On the screen, the Emotions see a series of images tumbling over each other so fast that they were almost impossible to comprehend.  
"What's happening?" cried Fear.  
"What is all this?" yelled Anger.  
"I can't…see…anything. It's too much. It's nothing but a jumble."  
"The future is a puzzle with many pieces to be sorted. In time, you will learn to separate what can be, from what will be."  
Rumpelstiltskin let go, breaking the connection, and the Seer fell to the ground.  
"This is the second person who wanted to give us their power." Joy realized. "First the beggar, now her."  
Rumpelstiltskin turned to leave, but the Seer called out to him.  
"Wait. As gratitude, I offer you one piece of the puzzle."  
She raised one of her hands off of the ground and waved it through the air.  
"You will be reunited with your son, and it will come in a most unexpected way."  
"How?"  
"A boy… A young boy will lead you to him. But beware, Rumpelstiltskin, for that boy is more than he appears. He will lead you…to what you seek. But there will be a price. The boy… Will be your undoing." Finally, the Seer's hand fell to the ground as she died.  
"Then I'll just have to kill him."


	6. The Crocodile(2)

Rumpelstiltskin sat at a table in the corner of a tavern. Smee entered the bar and sat at his table.   
"It really is you. The Dark One, in the flesh. Or… Whatever that is."  
"This better be worth it." Disgust rolled his eyes.  
"I've heard you've been looking for something, and as luck would have it, I'm a man who trades in hard-to-find objects. Like a bean. A magic bean that can transport you between worlds."  
"But they don't exist in this world anymore." Sadness whined.  
"Not in this land, no. But the ships that dock here often return from far off lands with treasures they don't always understand."  
"And yet, you do?"  
"It's my job, as is knowing the rumors of who might pay the highest price for said treasures."  
"And what rumors could they be?"  
"That you were once a great coward, but that you became the Dark One to overcome that and protect the, uh, son who you lost, despite all."  
"He knows about our past?!" Anger took the controls. "And he knows where to find a bean!"  
Rumpelstiltskin held up his hand and magically constricted Smee's throat. "It's not nice to spread rumors. A bean! Where is it?"  
"I don't have it. But I can get it. I- I swear." Rumpelstiltskin let go of the hold on Smee's neck. "You haven't heard my price."  
"I spin straw into gold. Price shouldn't be a problem."  
"Oh, I don't want money. I want eternal life."  
"Ha. Sorry, pal. Only we have that." Disgust scoffed.  
"So, you want more, son. What I can do, what about youth? Spin the clock back till you're a little boy again?"  
"Close enough. Deal."  
"But remember, you fail to deliver, I spin the clock forward and turn you into dust."  
"Thank you. Thank you." Smee got up and left.  
Soon, a commotion on the other side of the tavern caught his attention. Hook and his crew entered.  
"It's the pirate!" Anger growled. "The one who stole Milah, and bullied us. I say we get back at him."

___________

Hook and his drunken crew have left the tavern and are walking through the streets. A disguised Rumpelstiltskin intentionally bumped into Hook's arm to get his attention.  
"Hey, you. Stop! Even gutter rats have more manners than you just displayed."  
"No, I-I'm so sorry, sir."  
"Ah. I was wrong. Not a rat at all. More..." He leaned in and hit Rumplestiltskin's cup that he's holding, causing it to spill coins all over the ground. Rumplestiltskin knelt down and tried to pick it all up. "More like a crocodile. What's your name," He pushed Rumplestiltskin over with his foot. "Crocodile?"  
Anger stepped up to drive the console. "Alright. Now for some payback."  
Rumplestiltskin revealed himself and giggled.  
"You. I remember you."  
"Always nice to make an impression. Where are my manners? We haven't been properly introduced. Rumplestiltskin, or as others know me, The Dark One." Hook's crew began to back away.  
"I see he's heard of us." Disgust smiled, smugly.  
"Good! That's gonna save us time during the question and answer portion of our game."  
"What is it you want to know?"  
"How's Milah, of course?"  
"Who?"  
"Don't pretend you don't remember her." warned Anger.  
"Only too happy to, uh, dig out the memory. But, it gets really messy."  
"She's dead. Died a long time ago. What is it you want?"  
"We didn't get a chance to finish our duel." Hook drew his sword. "Ah! Not now. Tomorrow at dawn. I am not a cruel man. Get your affairs in order. Also, you can spend tonight knowing it'll be your last. Maybe I am cruel. And don't think about trying to escape, because I will find you, and I will gut your entire crew like fish."  
The next day, Rumplestiltskin spotted Hook in the alleyway while sitting on top of an arch.  
"There he is." Anger pointed to the screen. "Let's do this."  
He threw a sword down in front of him. "Pick it up, dearie, and let's begin."  
"There's no need." Hook reached for his own sword, but Rumplestiltskin took it from him using magic.  
"Sorry, but killing a man with his own sword was just too delicious to pass up. Hmm?" Hook picked up the sword on the ground. The two began to duel. "Ships that pass in the night. Well, at least one ship." Rumplestiltskin flung Killian into a pile of barrels. He got up and continued to fight. Rumplestiltskin disarmed him, and stepped on his sword before he could pick it up. He put the tip of his sword at Killian's throat.  
"Go on. I'm ready for the sword."  
"No. Do you know what it's like to have your wife stolen from you? To feel powerless to stop it? It feels like having your heart ripped from your chest."  
"Here, let me show you." Anger banged a button on the console. Rumpelstiltskin magically stuck his hand through Hook's chest.  
"Stop!"  
Rumpelstiltskin looked over in the direction of the voice.  
Anger let go of the controls.  
"It's Milah!" Fear gasped.  
Rumpelstiltskin removed his hand from Hook's chest. "Milah. How?"  
"Milah, you have to run."  
"No. I'm not leaving without you."  
Disgust touched a button on the console. "Oh, how sweet. It appears there's more to this tale than I know. Tell it to me, Milah."  
"Please, don't hurt him. I can explain."  
"Well, get on with it. We don't have all day." Disgust said, impatiently.  
"That first night, when Killian and his crew came into the tavern, he told stories about the places he'd been, and I fell in love with him." Rumplestiltskin stuck his sword into Killian's side. "I didn't mean for it to turn out this way. I didn't know how to tell you the truth. I'm sorry."  
"And so, here we are. You've come to save the life of your true love – the pirate. I didn't realize the power of true love before. It is impressive. I'd hate to break it up." Anger hit a button on the console. "Actually, no. I'd love to." Rumpelstiltskin continued to stick his sword in to Killian's side.  
"Wait. I have something you want."  
"Well, I find that very difficult to believe." He pulled his sword out of Killian's side and Milah showed him Smee's red hat. "Where did you get that?"  
"You know who I took it from. I may not know what the Dark One wants with a magic bean, but I have it."  
"Oh, I feel a proposal coming on."  
"The magic bean in exchange for our lives. Deal?"  
"I want to see it first."  
Rumpelstiltskin boarded the Jolly Roger. "Well, well. Seems like you finally found a family you could never have with me."  
The crew dragged Smee up from below deck. Milah took the satchel from him that contained the magic bean. She took the bean out of the bag and held it up as evidence for Rumpelstiltskin.  
"It's a bean!" cried Fear.  
He tried to take it, but Milah threw the bean over to Hook, who clenched it in his hand. "You asked to see it, and now, you have."  
"Do we have a deal? Can we go our separate ways?" asked Milah.  
"You're not getting off the hook that easy." Anger grabbed the controls. "You leave us alone with a child to raise and we're just supposed to forgive you? I don't think so!"   
"How could you leave Bae?" Several ropes anchored along the ship begin magically coming undone. "Do you know what it's like, walking home that night…"  
"Rumple…"  
"…knowing I had to tell our son…"  
"Please."  
"…that his mother was dead?"  
"I was wrong to lie to you. I was the coward. I knew that."  
Anger hit a button.  
"You left him! You abandoned him!"  
"And there's not a day that goes by that I don't feel sorry for that."  
"Sorry doesn't cut it, lady!" Anger shouted.  
"I let my misery cloud my judgment."  
"Why were you so miserable?"  
"Because I never loved you."  
"That's it!" Anger furiously pushed up the levers.  
Rumpelstiltskin magically stuck his hand through Milah's chest. Hook tried to save her, but Rumpelstiltskin used magic to bind him to the mast. He pulled out her heart.  
"No!" Hook shouted. He managed to break free from the ropes, causing one of the hooks to fall to the ground. He ran over to Milah as she fell down and gently laid her down onto the deck.  
Rumpelstiltskin crushed Milah's heart to dust in his hand and she died. The Emotions turned around and watched Milah Island crumble and fall into the dump.  
"No. You may be more powerful now, demon, but you're no less a coward."  
"I'll have what I came for, now."  
"You'll have to kill me first."  
"Ah-ah! I'm afraid that's not in the cards for you, sonny boy." With Anger still driving, Rumpelstiltskin drew his sword and cut off Hook's hand. "I want you alive because I want you to suffer like I did." Rumpelstiltskin turned to go, but Hook grabbed the hook on the deck and stabbed Rumpelstiltskin with it. But he was unaffected because of his armor.  
"Nice try, pirate." Disgust scoffed. "Is that the best you can do?"  
"Even demons can be killed. I will find a way."  
"Well, good luck living long enough." Rumpelstiltskin disappeared in a puff of red smoke, leaving behind the hook.

___________

In his house, Rumpelstiltskin placed Hook's severed hand on a table where there are several vials and a picture of Baelfire which he smiled at.  
"Ok, this is it." Joy smiled, excited. "Bae, here we come."  
Rumpelstiltskin slowly pulled the fingers open one by one, but then saw that the hand is empty.  
"It's not there!" Fear shouted.  
"He tricked us!" Anger pounded his fist the console and pushed the levers as his head blew out fire. Rumplestiltskin pushed over the table, spilling the contents onto the floor.  
"Well, so much for that." Disgust sighed.  
"We'll never find Bae now." Sadness whined.  
"I can't believe we trusted that pirate!" Anger snarled.  
"Hey, hey, hey." Joy tried to calm them down. "Look, it's gonna be ok."  
"Ok? How can things be ok?" asked Anger, almost shouting.  
"Yeah, Joy. Our son is alone in some other world right now." agreed Disgust.  
"A world that we have no way of getting to." added Sadness.  
"Now hold on! Look, there is still a way. Uh..." Joy thought for a moment. "That curse we talked about with the fairy."


	7. The Miller's Daughter

"All right, everyone," Joy plugged in a vision into the console, showing a young woman. "We need to find this woman."  
"Why?" the others asked.  
"Because according to this one," Joy plugged another vision in, showing the woman holding a baby before a crowd of people. "One day, she'll have a daughter."  
"And why should we care about that?" Disgust asked, crossing his arms.  
"She'll be the one who will cast the curse." Joy explained.  
"So how do you suppose we find her?" asked Anger.  
"Easy. She's locked in a tower."  
Rumpelstiltskin appeared in the castle tower just as Cora looks out the window to the ground and moat.  
"She's not going to jump, is she?" Fear asked, nervously.  
"I'm on it." Joy pressed a button.  
"That's never going to work." Rumpelstiltskin giggled. "I mean, you'll escape. But you'll be dead. Kind of defeats the purpose, doesn't it?"  
Cora turned to face him. "Who are you?"  
"Who are you?  
"Cora.  
"Not a very pretty name, is it? Sounds like something breaking."  
"How did you get in here? If you got in, I can get out."  
"Ha. Not unless you have magic like we do." Disgust scoffed.  
Joy pointed to the screen. "Hey, look. There's a spinning wheel."  
Rumpelstiltskin began feeding straw into the wheel. "This is your way out. And what a marvelous coincidence, that spinning straw into gold just so happens to be something that I like to do. Yeah, it's… It's almost like… Like… Like… Like fate."  
"No one can spin straw into anything. And no one can make…"  
Suddenly, the straw magically transformed into a strand of gold. Joy glanced out the back window and saw Magic Island running.  
"No one but us." Anger smiled smugly.  
Cora grabbed the gold strand to check for herself. "You want to help me?"  
"No, no. You're going to help us." Disgust corrected her.  
"What could you possibly get from me?" asked Cora.  
"Funny you should ask." Rumpelstiltskin summoned up a contract. "Can you read?" He handed it to Cora, who then proceeded to read it.  
"My firstborn child?"  
"She is quite important."  
"She?"  
"Like we said, we can see the future." Anger almost shouted. "This girl doesn't listen."  
"I only get my payment if you live past tomorrow."  
"You can turn all this straw into gold by morning?"  
"And you can parade in front of the royals and demand the hand of dimly-lit prince and have them kneel before you. That's what you want, eh? You want them to kneel..."  
"No. Teach me. Don't just do it. Teach me. Make it part of our deal."  
Joy looked impressed. "I like her. She's got spunk."  
Rumpelstiltskin waved his hand, causing the contract to briefly glow. He then took out a quill and handed it to Cora. "Now, let's begin."

Cora tried to spin straw into gold without much success. "Ugh! It's not happening."  
"Guys, give it up." Disgust sighed. "She's never gonna get it."  
"We have to guide her through it." Joy suggested.  
"You just need to stop thinking about it. Magic is about emotion. Summon up that moment that made you so angry, you would've killed if you could."  
"You do that?"  
"I do."  
"What's your moment?"  
Anger pulled up the memory of the night Rumpelstiltskin and Baelfire tried to run away.  
"Once, a man made me kiss his boots in front of my son. Now, in my mind, I go back and I rip out his throat, and I crunch his veins with my teeth, and that, dearie, is how magic is made."  
"Bloodlust."  
"I like the phrase. Let me help you."  
Rumpelstiltskin put his hands on Cora's shoulders and sat behind her at the spinning wheel. Cora resumed her attempt at spinning straw into gold.  
"They made me kneel." Cora said in an almost trance-like state. "I didn't do anything wrong, but they made me apologize. To a child. I realized, no matter how good I was, or how hard I worked, I was never going to be more than I am now."  
"What do you want to do to them?"  
"I want to make them bow. I want their kneecaps to crack and freeze on the stones. I want their necks to break from bending."  
"Look."  
Cora saw that the piece of straw has turned into gold.  
"I did it. I'm going to live."  
"Now she's got it." Anger smiled.  
"You're going to do much more than that, dearie. Don't stop until they are on their knees."  
"Let's keep going."

In front of a crowd at the castle, Cora was successfully able to spin straw into gold for King Xavier. Rumpelstiltskin, carefully covered in a cloak, watched from the audience, as she brought a strand of gold to the King for appraisal. Henry I got on his knee to propose to Cora.  
The Emotions cheered.  
"Good job, gentlemen." Joy smiled. "Everything's going according to plan."

At the castle, Cora was trying on her wedding dress.  
The Emotions all watched the screen, smiling.  
"She looks beautiful, doesn't she?" Joy sighed.  
"Yeah." The others agreed.

_________

Rumpelstiltskin stood waiting by a tree in the middle of the forest.  
"What's taking her so long?" asked Anger impatiently.  
"Don't worry, I'm sure she's coming." Joy assured. "Look, here she comes." He pointed to Cora arriving, carrying a box.  
"I was starting to grow concerned."  
"Well, here I am."  
They kissed.  
"Wait a minute. Something's not right." Disgust pointed out.  
"Well, what happened? Couldn't you take the King's heart?"  
"No, I was able to do it. I chose not to."  
"Ah."  
"I'm sorry, my dear Rumple. I'm not going with you. You see, I have a wedding to go to. My own."  
"She's not coming with us?!" Anger looked surprised.  
"Whose heart is in the box?"  
"Don't make this harder..."  
Anger hit a button on the console.  
"You lied to me. Whose heart?"  
"Mine. I had to. You told me not to let anything stop me until they're on their knees. My heart was stopping me."  
"She's been using us the whole time!" Anger pushed the levers as flames burst out of his head.  
"You never loved me. Never! You're not getting away with this. We had a contract! I'll take your baby!"  
"You changed the contract, Rumple. You only get your own child. And any baby I have… It won't be yours."  
"Another woman who never loved us!" Anger shouted, "I can't believe it happened again!"


	8. The Shepherd

"I can't believe we gave him the son he asked for and then he let this happen!" Anger ranted, pointing at the screen.

"I'm sure it wasn't on purpose." Joy assured him.

"Doesn't matter! We did this because he and the queen couldn't have a child of their own. Well, they certainly can't now that she's gone!"

"Then let's do another deal. Bring him back. I need my son to do this. I'll give you anything." King George suggested. "What do you want?"

"There's a magic wand I desire. It belongs to a certain fairy godmother, who's patron to your family. And I want to know her whereabouts." Rumpelstiltskin explained.

"Done. Now tell me – how do I bring my son back to slay the dragon?"

"Uh, nice try. But we can't bring him back." Disgust corrected. "We may have magic powers, but we're not a miracle worker."

"Then, my kingdom is lost. I'm alone."

"Oh, dear. Oh, dearie, dearie, dear. Did I not tell you, that I could have your son slay the dragon? And am I not a man of my word?"

"I thought you said he was gone forever?"

"Oh, that he is. But his brother…"

"His what?"

"Oh yeah. We forgot to tell you he has a twin brother." Joy said, looking smug.

Prince Charming and his mother, Ruth, are talking outside the house.

"A twin brother? And you gave him to that man?"

"We were poor – barely surviving – then, he came along with an offer. One of you for the farm."

"Why didn't you ever tell me?"

"The deal forbade us from ever speaking of it. Your father regretted the decision the minute that man took your brother. He carried the guilt with him to his grave."

"Ugh, can we get on with this?" Disgust groaned and pressed a button on the console. "We don't have all day, and this is making me sick."

"Hate to interrupt this tender moment. Time is of the essence."

"What do you want from me?"

"Oh, not me, dear. The king. He needs a prince to slay a dragon."

"I'm not a dragon slayer."

"No, but your brother was. This new found kinship will be your salvation. Simply play the part. The king's knights will take care of everything else. All you must do, is deliver the dragon's head to Midas."

"What's in it for you?"

"What's in it for me is my business. You should be asking yourself what's in it for you. You do this, your poor mother, well, the king is going to make sure she never wants for anything ever again. Your farm will be saved and you, should you survive, you shall come home the conquering hero. Now, don't tell me you don't want that?"

"I don't have a choice, do I?"

"Oh, everyone has a choice, dearie. Just make sure it's the right one."


End file.
